Each year PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) interviews industry experts and healthcare consumers to produce a list of top issues impacting the industry. This informative report, which was published last month by PwC's Health Research Institute (HRI), devotes one page to each of the Top 10 issues and delves into the implications that each issue will have on the industry. Key data points are clearly presented and the report is a valuable resource for assessing major trends in the industry.

Citing a “profound transformation” occurring in the industry, PwC says “the healthcare sector will begin to look and feel like other industries, catering to audiences expecting one-click service [and] consumers are leading the way, bearing more of the cost of their own care—and making more decisions.”

Healthcare consumers are more price-conscious than ever before, with 82% indicating that price is an important factor when making decisions about healthcare. That trend is coupled with more physicians embracing “do it yourself healthcare,” including mobile health apps that monitor a patient’s vital signs, analyze blood, track medication adherence, etc.

Some of the key trends noted in the report include an unprecedented level of data sharing and transparency; the need for healthcare organizations to revisit regulations that allow non-physicians to provide more services; a requirement to fully integrate data from electronic medical records throughout the enterprise; and the need to pursue strategic partnerships that encourage innovation, lower costs and fill gaps in business operations.

You can access the PwC report at: http://www.pwc.com/en_US/us/health-industries/top-health-industry-issues/assets/pwc-hri-top-healthcare-issues-2015.pdf